i just need ten more people to look at my blog today…the last day in October…to meet my number of visitors from last month. for some reason, it’s important… and it’s nice to know that others feel the same way. it’s kind of validating on some level…who knows.

i’m off to get dress up like a cat. for halloween. yes, i will go to work as a cat today. that helps cut down on the changing at work bit. horrah.

oh! and i’m showing my condo tonight to someone new. we’ll see how it goes. hopefully he’s a better candidate… you know, wanting to move in sooner rather than later. it needs to be the right buyer, able to buy soon, not a lot of baggage (literally – 786 sq feet)

i think about other things too, you know… like this topic, and wonder how we’ll get out of it.. and what’s happening to the young men and women… and that country and culture. and the upcoming elections (november 7th)… gotta run. the alarm keeps going off – i leave it on snooze in the morning because this is such a time warp – i can easily lose 45 minutes to an hour without blinking.

am going to make a pumpkin cake. well, actually, it’s a chocolate cake…dressed up like a pumkin. baked in a fancy pan…you know, the kind that anglefood cakes are made in with the hole in the middle. then the fancy ridges become the pumkin ridges… and i’ll get a ice cream cone to be the stem… and i’ll drizzle some orange icing on it (to suggest it’s a real pumpkin) and ice the stem green… and viola! birthday chocolate pumpkin cake.

i went to the store to get a few things… and spent just under $100. why do i do that??! and how does it happen. money just slips through my fingers…i’m pretty sure it goes mostly to food. i certainly bought some packaged lunches – lunch is the hardest meal for me to prep for. if i cooked more often, i don’t think food would zap such a significant portion of my net income. i’ll try again next week…tomorrow is another day.

but i have a showing on the condo tonight! wish me luck… i’m ready to sell and move forward with my life… and invest some of the profit in my new house :)

have a good day! off to go get ready for work…
:)

p.s. why is it that i always misspell the same words? like availible? i always spell it that way. but it’s really able… availabe. why can’t i remember? perhaps i need a pneumonic device of some sort. there are other words too – but this is the one that i can recall at this very moment.

today i hung up some halloween lights outside (looked like candy corns – orange/yellow) and i set them to *blink* …and sometime in the evening i heard a knock on the door. while i was walking to answer it, the person outside opened my screen door, and then i saw/heard the door handle jiggle – whoa! that’s not right. it caused me concern, but luckily the door was locked. i didn’t open it.

i went to the door, asked who it was, and he kept telling me his name, asked if we could talk. i said No. he asked why my lights were blinking??! what was wrong with my lights? why were they blinking? I said i had done it on purpose. he didn’t like that reaponse. he tried the door handle again. again i said No, i wasn’t interested in talking. goodnight. then it took him about 30 seconds to finish slamming my screen door shut – was mumbling about how it wouldn’t close. i’m glad i habitually lock my door when i come inside. that would have been rather scary if he had gotten in! it’s a very safe neighborhood… it was too dark outside to get a look at him. and a minute later i heard the man do a similar routine to my neighbor next door – at least he wasn’t targeting me specifically.

there’s someone who lives up the street who is…about 75 years old. he can’t remember anything (short term memory loss) and he has Alzheimer’s disease. i don’t remember his name, but am pretty sure it was NOT the same name as the man tonight. i’ll just continue to be mindful to lock the doors… maybe the person was drunk. who knows. …we are getting close to holiday season – and perhaps a full moon as well.

ok – didn’t actually finish the grill… BUT, was able to wrap mom’s b-day gifts, put them in a box, tape it up, address it, take it to the post office and send it off in time for her birthday on Nov 2nd.

and on my way home, i stopped by my new library – it’s very close, could ride my bike to it… but, since i needed to bring proof of id, something with my new address, and wanted to bring home several new books… i decided to drive this time. next time i’ll bring my backpack and bike over – or walk… just depends on how cold it is.

watched one of the movies – i think i’ve seen it before, a loooooooooooooong time ago. Sweet November. I usually feel as though keanu reeves’ voice is monotone – like he speaks through his supposedly dramatic lines. he kinda talked through the whole movie. but apparently he’s a good actor – i’m not a good judge. the movie was ok – great overall message – just didnt’ have the right closure at the end for me. am watching a new series from Netflix (they send me dvd’s in the mail – i pay a monthly fee… it’s a win:win) called Medium …it’s usually on television, but the new season won’t start for this show until after the baseball or football season is over (don’t remember which). this series is actually based on a real person – the stories are interesting… and love the actors.

am not going to church in the morning… am attending membership class in the afternoon, and decided it was best to attend the 5:30 service instead. SO, unless i get engrossed in a new book (from the library) I should be able to finish assembling my grill. happy day for me.

i want to start a compost pile… someplace meaningful to put eggshells and used tea bags and bits of vegetables – perhaps that’s a project i’ll start next year. i have a lot going on at the moment. need to decide what i’m going to do about the condo, how i’m going to get my current projects fixed at my new house, and so many other things that i’m unable to type because my brain is on overload just trying to retrieve them – let’s just say i needed this night at home in my pajamas with a movie and a wine cooler…or two.

my friend who came over for brunch? well, she helped me fix my grill! Step #4 is complete! Now I will make some time today to finish assembling the grill… and pretty soon I’ll make some steak. or chicken. or fish. or veggies. or pancakes (well, perhaps not)

and my other friend’s dad came over to look at the electrical system… he said it’s something he can do, so i’m thrilled! am going to be sneaky and ask his wife about nice restaurants out by them (pretending to take a friend out for b-day dinner and ask for recommendations) so i can get them a gift certificate to a resturant as a ‘thank you’ :)

ok! great news! so, i’m NOT going to crawl back in bed with a good book. as a matter of fact, i’m going to see if there is air in my tires – and ride over to the library near my house. exciting. and finish the grill. very exciting. and continue unpacking and getting settled. always exciting.

yes, ladies and gentlemen… rain is highly allergic to several items in her environment…nickle and chromium to name a few (only a few are named because i can neither spell nor remember the others)

need to give away my dish soap… the oatmeal lavender body wash… and start going through my jewelry… investigate what kind of metal my glasses are made from… get an extra set of yellow gloves for when i wash dishes (no dishwasher) …and not get disappointed when my skin responds to various family jewlery heirlooms. …Oh, and lest we forget the best part of this skin test – I now get addional practice for reading lables! Ingredients for everything! Makeup (which i don’t wear a lot of, but do you know how many metals and other potential allergens are in makeup? and the wide variety of names/synonyms for ingredients??!) Cleansers. Conditioner/shampoos… it seems like my world is getting smaller. BUT, good news, she thinks that systematically eliminating contact allergens will improve my exzema (best summarized by allergic and highly reactive skin…and skin is a big organ).

so the doctor said it wasn’t just that my skin was allergic to X,Y or Z… it’s that my skin had a very angry reaction. (we’re talking raised, red bumps with blisters!) so my skin is angry. good. at least part of me can express itself directly.

(blisters are still there, btw… and itching like crazy. not scratching – using *cold* instead… stops the itch)

arrived at work late due to dr. appt …and wasn’t very productive. stayed late – just didn’t want to be there. actually, just want to go to bed. but i have this movie i’ve been wanting to watch for quite some time, so…i may just watch it and fall asleep on the couch… well, except that i’ve got a friend coming over for brunch tomorrow. don’t get me wrong – i adore this friend. i’m just tired, you know? …so she’s coming over around 10, and i need to clean the kitchen, take out the trash, tidy up clutter… and i’ll do it tomorrow morning. already set the alarm for 7:30 (but – will i get up??! that remains to be seen… because I still haven’t gone to bed yet… and then there’s that movie I wanted to watch…)